Chronological Order of Razorland Books

The novella Foundation takes place prior to Enclave.

About The Author

Ann Aguirre is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. She obtained a degree in English Literature before going on to writing full time, after having already worked as a clown a clerk, a voice kitten and a saviour of stray kittens. Having grown up in a yellow house in rural America, she now lives in Mexico with her husband, children and her pets while enjoying books, emo music and action films. Dystopian young adult literature is not the genre which she limits herself to, writing in various other genres of fiction for adults and teenagers. Under her pseudonym, Ann publishes paranormal romance fiction in the popular Skin series.

The Trilogy

The Razorland trilogy is set in a dystopian world where the life expectancy age is extremely low, and civilization the world over has for the most part moved into underground enclaves to avoid the wars that were raging and the plagues that were killing everyone. The story focuses on New York, where Deuce having recently taken up the role as a Huntress works with Fade, who as a young boy lived ‘Topside’, or over ground, where the population has significantly reduced to a number of a few very dangerous gangs. The enclave in which they are living is about to face a number of challenges though, as Deuce and Fade are about to discover, tunnel monsters known as Freaks are organising and growing more intelligent, and have already unleashed their formidable force onto neighbouring enclaves. Exiled to above ground, Deuce and Fade attempt to ingratiate themselves within a surviving town that has endured above ground called Salvation, and eventually lead the fight against the horde that has gathered.

Enclave

The first to be written in the series, though not chronologically first due to the interceding books that Aguirre released after this one, we are introduced to Deuce and Fade in their Enclave. Deuce, after her 15th birthday becomes a huntress she is partnered with Fade who is already a Hunter and has lived Topside as a young boy. After discovering the destruction that was wrought on their neighbouring enclaves by the Freaks, who have evidently become more organised and intelligent, Deuce and Fade try to warn the Elders of their enclave, who are stubbornly and short-sightedly not inclined to listen. The two are exiled and Deuce who was born underground, must learn to survive Topside, a world completely unfamiliar and alien to her guided only by the faded memories of Fade. But the dangers and challenges they face are as new to them as the feelings they are to discover.

Outpost

Returning to being considered a child after having grown used to being viewed as an adult, Deuce tries to fit in in the town of Salvation where she and Fade have found themselves on Topside. The people of the town believe that Deuce is in dire need of training, as the only skill she has is fighting, being the sole thing she had been trained in her Enclave. What does not help is how her partner Fade has started to keep himself at a distance from her; even though her feelings for him have remained unchanged, he seems to not want to be around her anymore. She signs up to the summer patrols in her loneliness and search for a way to escape it, the bands that are in charge of ensuring the safety of the planter workers so they can continue to work in the fields free from danger. What used to be routine has become more dangerous as the Freaks have grown smarter and are watching, waiting and scheming; the only thing that can save the town of Salvation, and who can turn the tide in the favour of the humans once more, may be the girl who only knows how to fight.

Horde

The horde of Freaks is approaching, and the town of Salvation is already surrounded, with the monsters at the gates, showing no sign of retreating this time. Deuce and Fade now in the company of stalker and Tegan set out to see what they can accomplish to save the town. The odds are against them, but Deuce is no stranger to adversity; she may not be a Huntress of the Enclave anymore, but she will not run nor falter; she has her knives, her companions and her fighting spirit. The battle of a lifetime and a huge horde await them ahead. The Freaks have been attacking other towns, settlements and are out in the open; they have created a complex system of scouts, perimeters and patrols, which, hitherto have been practices that have not been associated with the Freaks. But the stakes are much higher this time, Deuce and her companions are no longer fighting just for the survival of one town, but for that of all of humanity.

Interceding Books

Throughout the span of these stories Aguirre has released interceding books that have followed the storyline, just at different points in time, different characters inhabiting the same world, and from the perspectives of characters that have been introduced to us in the main thread of the series. The first such book Foundation, written from the perspective of a character who would come to be highly influential in the story, documents humanity’s relocation underground due to disease and wars, and the formation of the Enclaves in which the majority of humanity would come to reside. The second such book comes after Enclave and follows the story of Thimble of Stone. After a rebellion destroys the Enclave in which they were living, they try and escape the chaos with Stone’s son. On their journey they must avoid the Freaks who will eat their flesh if encountered. Moving on from their assigned roles as breeder and builder, Thimble and Stone wander around the underground tunnels full of Freaks in search of safety, yet they fear to go topside where, according to legend and what they have been told, the sun and water will burn their skin. Though, inevitably they head upwards to a world of tinned food, furniture and bools that they would never have imagined before. Still in the face of danger, but away from their highly organised society, Thimble and Stone are allowed the time and space to acknowledge and confront the attraction between them which was previously forbidden and denied. The third of these books comes before Horde is called Restoration, and gives a chance to the reader to understand why Fade distanced himself from Deuce in Outpost.

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Our author of the month is the Canadian author Louise Penny We’re paying tribute to Louise this month. Her Gamache series is simply incredible and each book just gets better. If you haven’t read it yet – start now!

Did You Know…

Jack Reacher never needs a watch, as he always knows what time it is in his head. This has sometimes played both major and minor parts in many of the plots of the novels he features in.